Pushing the Placenta Out

After the baby is born, the third part of the delivery begins, which is the pushing out of the placenta. This stage generally lasts around five to fifteen minutes. The mother will continue having contractions but they will not be as intense as before. The contractions will help to separate the placenta from the wall of the uterus. After this separation has happened and the placenta reaches the opening of the vagina, the doctor will ask you to push lightly one more time. There are many cases in which women at this stage are so excited about the whole process of having given birth to their lovely baby, that they don’t really focus on this last aspect and many don’t even remember it.

Repairing the Perineum
After the placenta has been pushed out, the doctor will then proceed to checking the cervix, the vagina and the perineum to make sure there wasn’t any tearing or ripping. The doctor will then proceed to suturing the tearing found. If you did not use an epidural and this area is sensitive, the doctor might use local anesthesia to desensitize the area before repairing it.

A nurse will clean the area between the vagina and the anus and help put your legs down from the leg holders and cover you with blankets. You will probably still feel slight contractions and this is normal, as a matter a fact they help to minimize the amount of bleeding.